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Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Stacy Juba-The IAN Interview

Stacy
Juba got engaged at Epcot Theme Park and spent part of her honeymoon at
Disneyland Paris, where she ate a burger, went on fast rides, and threw up on
the train ride to the hotel. In addition to working on her new Storybook Valley
chick lit/sweet romance series, Stacy has written books about ice hockey, teen
psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths. She has
had a novel ranked as #5 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid
List. Stacy is also the founder of the Glass Slipper Sisters, a group of
authors with Cinderella-themed romance novels. When she’s not visiting theme
parks with her family, (avoiding rides that spin and exotic hamburgers) or writing
about them, Stacy helps authors to strengthen their manuscripts through her
Crossroads Editing Service.

IAN:
Please tell us about your latest book.

S. Juba: My latest book is Fooling Around With Cinderella, the first in the
Storybook Valley series. What
happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella’s toes? When Jaine
Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general
manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for
the summer. Her reign transforms Jaine’s ordinary life into chaos that would
bewilder a fairy godmother. Secretly dating her bad boy boss, running wedding
errands for her ungrateful sisters, and defending herself from the park’s
resident villain means Jaine needs lots more than a comfy pair of shoes to
restore order in her kingdom.

IAN:
Is Fooling Around With Cinderella published in print, e-book or both?

S.
Juba: I was inspired to write Fooling Around With Cinderella when I was at a
fairy tale theme park with my family. We had just gone to visit Cinderella and
suddenly I stopped short. This whole plotline popped into my head, about a
reluctant theme park Cinderella trying to find her Prince Charming.

IAN: Did
you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?

S.
Juba: I always use an outline, written on index cards and hanging on a bulletin
board in my office. Sometimes I change things, but I always have a road map and
keep my outline updated with the latest additions.

IAN: How
did you come up with the title?

S.
Juba: The title has a double meaning – “fooling around” in the romance sense,
as there is a romance between Jaine and her boss Dylan. But the real reason is
that Dylan, the general manager of the theme park, is having a tough time
finding a reliable Cinderella to finish out the season. He had one go Goth,
another get pregnant, and another quit, so he is tired of fooling around with
Cinderella.

IAN: What
do you hope your readers come away with after reading Fooling Around With
Cinderella?

S.
Juba: I hope they will have laughed and found the book a temporary vacation
from their daily stresses, and want to return to Storybook Valley for future
books.

IAN: How
much of the book is realistic?

S.
Juba: Actually, more of it is realistic than you would think. I did hours of
research, researching theme park management, watching job recruitment videos
for theme park chains, and watching videos of former theme park employees and behind
the scenes videos of former “princesses” and characters. I researched
everything, down to how to do a princess wave. As a former journalist, I really
strive to find authentic details to incorporate into my fiction so that readers
learn something without knowing they are learning something.

IAN: What
books have most influenced your life most?

S. Juba:
I have also published several mystery novels, so I would have to say I was
influenced by the juvenile mystery series I read growing up – Nancy Drew and
Trixie Belden in particular. I started writing mysteries in fifth grade as I
was so hooked on those series, and my love of reading mysteries led me to
writing my own mysteries.

IAN: Do
you see writing as a career?

S.
Juba: Yes, I definitely see writing as my career, but there are ups and downs
with being an author so most authors need to have another job also. I am
fortunate to be a freelance editor, so that I am always keeping my editing
skills sharp, and I also find it very rewarding to help other writers make
their books as strong as possible. In the case of beginner writers, I find it
rewarding to mentor them and help them to make their publishing dream come
true. I’ve also done freelance magazine
writing and marketing writing, and am a former newspaper reporter, so I have
always made my career as a writer.

IAN: Do
you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

IAN:
Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

S.
Juba: It is the next book in the Storybook Valley series, Prancing Around With
Sleeping Beauty. All the books in the
series can be read as standalones, but they feature familiar settings such as
the Storybook Valley theme park and have recurring characters. Jaine and Dylan,
the leads of Fooling Around With Cinderella, will play a supporting role in
Prancing Around With Sleeping Beauty. The protagonist is Dylan’s sister, Rory,
a dance instructor whose real name is Aurora. (hence the Sleeping Beauty)